Similarities Between The Flowers And The Giver

Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.” This quote illustrates the idea that experience allows people to gain knowledge not only about themselves but about the rest of the world and the place where they live. The common man is shown as concealed from all the maltreat in the world and after viewing a petrifying occurrence, they are unaware of what the outside holds for them in reality. The story, “The Flowers” by Alice Walker and the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry are both coming of age pieces that are built around two characters learning about their world. The young character in both types of stories experience a significant event that drastically changes them to make better decisions and to grow up. “The Flowers” is …show more content…
“The Flowers” states, “It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly from hen house to pigpen to smokehouse that the days had never been as beautiful as these.” In this first sentence of the story, the reader can tell Myop is carefree and is happy since she is skipping and admiring the beauty of the day. The author is able to send a message to the reader that Myop is innocent and is enjoying her childhood. However, Myop’s childhood takes a turn for the worst when she decides to explore the part of the forest her mother has never taken her to before. When Myop stumbles on a decaying body of a tall man who has been hung, she is no longer hidden from the horrors of the world. This experience causes her to have knowledge of what she hasn’t discovered. She now knows the reality of violence in the world. According to “The Flowers”, “Myop laid down her flowers. And the summer was over.” The event she experiences causes her childhood, similar to the summer, to be over. She is no longer carefree and innocent instead she is sullen and knowing. Stumbling across the decaying body causes Myop to learn about the harsh realities of the world and makes her childhood come to an abrupt